1. Field
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to automated determination of features of an electronic map.
2. Information
Navigation systems are becoming more and more pervasive in today's market. A navigation system may be utilized to determine a route from a first location to a destination. In some navigation systems, a user may enter a start location and a destination into a mapping application, such as one of the different mapping applications commonly used on websites such as Mapquest.com.
Navigation systems may be utilized within an indoor environment, such as a shopping mall, to guide a user to a destination such as a department store or a food court, for example. A user may be provided with navigation instructions informing the user to walk in a particular direction for a certain distance or until a landmark has been reached, such as a bench or hallway, and then change direction. For example, upon reaching a bench, a user may be instructed to turn left and continue walking. Navigation instructions to guide a user from a starting location to a destination may include several segments or branches, for example. For example, a navigation instruction to “walk straight for 50 feet” may comprise a first branch and “turn left and walk straight for 60 feet” may comprise a second branch. In an indoor environment, there may be numerous branches along a particular path from a starting location to an end location or destination.
Information relating to a layout of an indoor environment, such as dimensions of stores, entryways to the stores, or locations of hallways, for example, may be utilized to determine appropriate navigation instructions. For example, if locations of entryways or hallways are known, a user can be directed along a particular path to an entryway of a destination store. However, in some systems, a human operator may identify certain features of an indoor environment on a corresponding map via a time-intensive process.